Inside the 2026 Starnet Fall Meeting: Three Days in San Antonio That Showed Commercial Flooring Is Entering an “Age of Abundance”
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Tanner McHugh –
At a glance, The 2026 Starnet Fall Meeting took place October 22–24, 2026, at La Cantera Resort in San Antonio, Texas. Hosted, by our wonderful staff, Starnet Commercial Flooring, a partnership of independent commercial flooring contractors across the United States and Canada, the meeting brought members, preferred vendor partners and industry guests together around the theme “Age of Abundance.” Highlights included a keynote from Movement Maker CEO Leslee Owen, a robotics kickoff with Human Friendly Robotics, four hands-on business workshops, a Vendor Tabletop Show and a full-day Starnet Tech Summit…and so much more!
Some industry meetings you attend. Others you remember. The 2026 Starnet Fall Meeting was firmly the second kind. I know we’re bias, but this was one for the record books!
I arrived at La Cantera, tucked into the Texas Hill Country on the edge of San Antonio, with a packed agenda and a simple question: how will the membership respond to the “Age of Abundance” and what will it actually look like for a commercial flooring professional? Three days later, I left with an answer, a notebook full of ideas and a renewed appreciation for what happens when the best independent contractors in the business share a room.
The Warm-Up: Golf, Hill Country Views and Familiar Faces
The story really starts a day early. On Wednesday, the Starnet Board of Directors and Advisory Council met to set the course, and then attendees headed to La Cantera Golf Club for a shotgun-start tournament. By evening, the Ardex Happy Hour turned into exactly what a Starnet gathering does best: old friends catching up, new members being welcomed, and conversations that would carry through the rest of the week.
Day One: Robots, a Rallying Keynote and Real Talk Among Peers
Thursday came out of the gates fast. Invited members started the morning with the Business Blitz, a rapid-fire series of focused meetings across five rooms. By the time registration opened in the ballroom foyer, the hallways were already buzzing.
The official kickoff lunch set the tone for the entire meeting. Starnet shared its message for the year ahead alongside Human Friendly Robotics, offering a look at how robotics is beginning to reshape commercial construction and flooring installation. It was a glimpse of the future that had people talking well after dessert.
Then came keynote speaker Leslee Owen, CEO of Movement Maker, who challenged everyone in the room to rethink how they lead, how they grow, and how they spot opportunity in an increasingly changing world. It was the kind of talk that sends people back to their tables comparing notes…in this case it was AI scores.
That energy carried straight into the afternoon Member Discussion Groups. Across six rooms, contractors spoke candidly about what is working, what is not and where the market is heading. For many members, these peer conversations are the single most valuable hour of any Starnet meeting, and this year proved it again. The night ended under the Texas sky at the Welcome Reception on the Esparza Lawn.
Day Two: Education Members Can Use on This Week!
Friday opened with breakfast gatherings for Emerging Leaders, Women of Starnet and Starnet’s Canadian members, followed by the Shareholders’ Meeting, where members heard where the partnership stands and where it is headed. Needless to say…we have some exciting opportunities heading into 2027.
Next came the workshops, and this is where the meeting turned practical. Each attendee chose two of four sessions built around real challenges commercial flooring contractors face:
- The Executive Safety Imperative, led by Jason Webb of Acrisure, on why jobsite safety starts in the corner office
- Contract Strategies for Specialty Trade Contractors, led by Sloan Bailey, on protecting your business before you sign
- Minimizing Starnet Member Risk on 1L Portland-Limestone Slabs, led by Lew Migliore and Jack Aspenson, on one of the newest technical challenges in concrete substrates
- Build Scale and Competence Using Artificial Intelligence, led by (me) Tanner McHugh, on how contractors can put AI to work today
At lunch, the theme came full circle. The Age of Abundance Lunch featured a panel of Emerging Leaders and Women of Starnet members, including Nichole Poindexter-Wilson, Lara Rassette, and John Rally, who shared what growth, leadership, and opportunity look like from where they stand. Hearing the next generation of the industry speak with that kind of confidence was a highlight of the week.
The afternoon belonged to the Vendor Tabletop Show. Members spent dedicated time with Starnet’s preferred vendor partners, exploring new products and solutions, and they had extra motivation to visit every table since we were playing Vendor Bingo where members had the opportunity to win a suite at the 2027 Starnet Spring Meeting if they visited every preferred vendor partner’s booth. We closed the night and the event together at the Farewell Reception sponsored by J+J Flooring.
Thank You One More Time!
Starnet extends a sincere thank-you to the vendor partners whose support made the 2026 Fall Meeting possible, to all of the attendees, and to the special guests who shared this time with us!
Thank you to everyone who made San Antonio so special. We look forward to seeing everyone at the 2027 Starnet Spring Meeting in California!
Frequently Asked Questions About the Starnet Fall Meeting
What is the Starnet Fall Meeting? The Starnet Fall Meeting is a semiannual gathering of Starnet Commercial Flooring members and preferred vendor partners. It combines business education, peer discussion groups, vendor meetings, technology sessions and networking for independent commercial flooring contractors.
When and where was the 2026 Starnet Fall Meeting? The 2026 Starnet Fall Meeting was held October 22–24, 2026, at La Cantera Resort in San Antonio, Texas.
What was the theme of the 2026 Starnet Fall Meeting? The theme was “Age of Abundance,” focused on the growth, technology and leadership opportunities available to commercial flooring contractors.
What topics were covered? Sessions covered executive safety, contract strategies for specialty trade contractors, risk on 1L Portland-limestone concrete slabs, artificial intelligence for contractors, robotics in commercial construction, and flooring technology for estimating and project management.
When is the next Starnet meeting? The next meeting is the 2027 Starnet Spring Meeting in California from April 15th-18th.
What is Starnet Commercial Flooring? Starnet Commercial Flooring is a partnership of independent commercial flooring contractors across the United States and Canada. Members work together on education, purchasing, technology and best practices to deliver quality commercial flooring installations.